


Lions, and Tigers, and Bears, Oh Shit!

by kmvb



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-28
Updated: 2018-07-18
Packaged: 2019-05-29 16:47:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15077471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kmvb/pseuds/kmvb
Summary: “Wynonna, please,” she cried to her elder sister. Her feet shook as nerves swelled within her. The crowd below them bellowed in excitement as she stood a hundred feet in the air, a thin wire the only thing separating her from her demise, her sister, or a glowing gun.Or the fic where Wynonna, Waverly, Doc, and Dolls run a traveling circus and the next stop on their tour is none other than Purgatory, a place where neither Earp has returned since their father died and their sister was kidnapped.





	1. Whiskey Driven

**Author's Note:**

> This is another random Wynonna fic prompt I picked up from Twitter. Unfortunately, I don't remember who gave it to me, so if it's you, please let me know.
> 
> Special thanks to my awesome beta readers, who are probably going to get sick of me and wish they never agreed to help me out. =)

“Wynonna, please,” she cried to her elder sister. Her feet shook as nerves swelled within her. The crowd below them bellowed in excitement as she stood a hundred feet in the air, a thin wire the only thing separating her from her demise, her sister, or a glowing gun.

“Wynonna, please,” she challenged her again, her voice splitting in two. “Wynonna, I need you to remember who you are. Remember who I am. Please, Wynonna.”

The other woman’s eyes glowed a bright red, but they did not falter. The eldest Earp took another step closer to her sister, the twine shaking beneath her heavy boots. Without turning, Waverly took a step backward, but her left foot caught underneath her right. The blood drained from her face as her balance was swept from underneath her. She pawed at her sister’s ringmaster’s costume, her fingers desperate to grasp onto the velvet overcoat but to no avail. She felt weightless as she flew down, gravity pulling her toward the bellowing crowd faster and faster. 

“No!” She screamed. Wind filled her lungs and her voice was lost below.

“Waverly!” Nicole screamed as she sprinted from her post at the door. The officer’s voice filled her ears as the young woman’s vision faded to black.

 

5 days earlier...

“Purgatory? Really, Wynonna?” Waverly Earp asked flabbergasted. She flopped onto the small leather couch in the tour bus. Her sister danced around the makeshift kitchen just feet away from her sister, discarding pieces of her costume onto the floor. 

“We will be okay, Waves,” Wynonna Earp responded with confidence. She grabbed her nightshirt and pulled it over her milky white skin. “It’s been years since we’ve been there. No one will even remember we are Earp’s. We are Gibson’s now. In our eyes and in the eyes of the government. The Earp curse is dead.”

“But you’re 27 now, Wynonna.” Waverly scraped her fingernails against her head and through her hair. “You are officially the Earp heir.”

“And you were 5 when we left, Waves, I don’t know what that has to do with it.”

“It’s everything, Wynonna.”

A rapid knock on the door shook the entire fortress. Without waiting for a response, two men bustled inside the trailer carrying bottles of booze in each hand.

“Do you two ever knock?”

“I believe we did, right, Dolls?” Doc Holliday asked his co-conspirator. He took his cowboy hat off his head and ran a hand through his sweaty, greasy hair.

“I could have been naked.” Wynonna argued. The two grizzly men fell into the couch on either side of her younger sister.

“Not like it’s something we haven’t seen before, right Doc?” Xavier Dolls raised his hand up over Waverly’s head and gave the other man a high-five.

“Oh god, you two are disgusting!” Wynonna rolled her eyes. She pulled up a chair beside the couch and draped her legs across Xavier’s lap. “Waverly could have been naked.”

Doll’s face went blank. “Sorry, Waves, she’s right.”

“No, she’s wrong.” Waverly disagreed as she grabbed the whiskey from Doc’s hands and placed it on the table. She grabbed four glasses from above the sink and cracked open the bottle. Her eyes brightened as she poured the dark, gold liquid into each glass. “Unlike my sister, I know better than to get dressed right in front of the door.”

Waverly passed a glass to each performer, then raised her own high above her head. “To three amazing shows in Toronto.”

“Here, here,” Doc responded as clinks resounded throughout the group. His eyes watered as the whiskey snaked down his pipes and burned his esophagus. 

“Another stop on Cirque de WWXD complete,” Dolls announced, his pearly whites contrasting against his dark skin. He gripped the cover of the tequila bottle in his hands, his arms flexing as he cracked it open. Without warning, he replaced the whiskey in each glass with a shot of tequila. To hell with mixing drinks, this was their traditional celebration. “And to our next stop, Purgatory!” 

Waverly’s eyes locked on her sisters, who cracked a small grin. She clanked her glass roughly against the others, and then flung back her own clear liquid.

“Waves, it’s going to be okay.” Doc told her without any hesitation in his voice. “This is just another paying job, okay? A quarter of a million dollars too, nonetheless. None of the revenants will even have a clue who you and Wynonna are. And if they do, we will just run out of the Ghost River Triangle before they can even take another breathe.”

“See, Waverly,” Wynonna downed another shot of whiskey straight from the bottle, not even wasting time to pour it into her glass. “Nothing to worry about.”

“Whatever you say, Wynonna.”

 

It took an instant, that is it. One moment she was lying up on the top bunk in their shared bed, fast asleep and enjoying the most wonderful dream, and the next she was lying flat on the cold linoleum floor. 

“Holy shit, Waverly,” Wynonna’s bare feet shivered as they connected to the icy ground. “Why did you fall?”

“Oh yeah, Wynonna, because I wanted to fall five feet to the ground while I was sleeping. I just thought-” 

The door burst open, swinging just millimeters from Waverly’s head. A half-naked Xavier and a still-Stetson wearing Doc stepped inside the room and over the young girl.

“Why are we stopped?” He questioned as he removed his hat and held it in front of his exposed belly button.

“Oh yeah, no problem.” Waverly flattened her palms on the cold woodwork and pushed her body up off the ground. “Nobody worry about the one who fell five feet in the middle of her sleep.”

“You’re okay, Waves,” The eldest Earp squeezed her sisters shoulder, but Waverly gasped in response.

“Waverly,” The taller man took a step forward into her line of sight. “Do you know why we-”

“If I didn’t know any better, Dolls,” Wynonna’s eyes dropped to his boxers, a smirk swinging on her face. “I would think you were happy to see me.” 

“Wynonna, focus.” The youngest Earp smacked her sister with the back of her hand. She winced in pain from the sudden movement. She was not going to try that again anytime soon. “I think we hit something. I heard something right before I fell, unless I was dreaming.”

“I think I remember that too, ma’am.” Doc agreed.

“Well, let’s go check it out!” Dolls placed his hands on top of the older man’s shoulders and pushed him out of the door, as if Doc was a shield protecting him from a raging lion in the dead of night.

“Come on, baby girl, let’s go.”

“Wynonna, what if-”

“We’ve got the fastest gun slinger in the history of history with us, and a sexy lizard dragon on our side. I think we are safe.”

“Wynonna!” She shrieked as she silently tiptoed through the kitchen with the same speed and finesse as she would on a tightrope. The door flung shut just millimeters from her face. Using her fingertips, she pushed the door open. She soared outside, her bare feet colliding and burning against the black tar. Her arms twitched, her body habitually itching for a bow.

“See, Waverly, nothing to worry about,” Wynonna called out carelessly to her sister. Nothing ever seemed to bother her. “It’s just a dead deer.”

The youngest Earp followed her sister’s voice, her feet driving forward to the front of the trailer. Doc held a cell flashlight right into her eyes as he tried to brighten the area.

“Don’t blind the poor girl, you ass-wipe.”

“Sorry, sorry,” Doc lowered the phone his eyes locking with each Earp sister in apology. “Being in this place just gives me the heebie-jeebies.”

“Back?” Her volume shuffled. “Does that mean?”

Doll’s pointed his phone over his shoulder like a lantern as the Welcome to Purgatory sign was illuminated.

“Welcome home, ladies.”


	2. Rum Run

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Purgatory Police Official shows up at the Circus Tent for a safety inspection prior to opening night (and you will never guess what Haught Officer it is!)
> 
> Wynonna ditches Waverly and her responsibilities as ringmaster to be all Wynonna-like (Whiskey soaked and reckless- but not really)

“Waverly, get your ass out of bed!” Wynonna yelled as she pulled all three blankets and a bonus blanket off her sleeping sister. 

“Wynonna!” Waverly screamed as she attempted to snatch her hands out of her sister’s sneaky hands. “Can’t you just let me sleep?”

“You have slept, Waves,” Wynonna dropped the covers onto the bottom bunk, far away from her sister’s grasp. “It’s one o’clock. We got places to go, people to see.”

The youngest Earp sat up in bed, her head barely missing the ceiling in the process. “Oh fudge nuggets, really? I never sleep this late.” 

“I know, so get your ass down here.” Wynonna commanded . Waverly shimmed down the ladder, her sister playfully patting her rear in the process. “You’ve got a meeting with the Purgatory Police Department.”

“Me?” Confusion etched her features. “What about you! Wynonna!” 

Waverly’s naked feet pounded the trailer floor as she chased Wynonna through the small bedroom, across the makeshift kitchen and into the -

“Uh… Hi?” Her face darkened ten shades as she came face to face with a tall, beautiful police officer leaning against the door to Doc and Doll’s bedroom. She rocked back and forth on her heels, nervousness and embarrassment cannonballing from within her stomach. The officer used her fingertips to take off her hat with such finesse that Waverly was sure she might faint.

“Nicole, Nicole Haught,” The officer stepped forward and reached her hand out to the young girl. Waverly’s eyes dropped to the other woman’s long fingers, and then to her own sweaty palms. Without a second to wipe them on her nightshirt - shit she was still wearing a night shirt.

Her hand magnetically found the other woman’s soft, warm hand, if only for a second before she pulled it away, terrified. Why was she nervous? She wrapped her arms in front of her chest, suddenly aware she was braless. The other woman’s cheeks seemed to brighten as if stage make up was applied to her face.

“And you are,” She recovered fast, “Waverly-”

“Gibson.” Waverly finished before the officer had a chance to utter another word. 

“That was also going to be my answer.” Nicole’s eyes lit up as she smiled. “Why don’t you get dressed and I’ll meet you inside the tent.”

Waverly went to nod her head in agreement, but she spoke before her mind had a chance to catch up. “Actually, why don’t you just have a seat and wait, I’ll only be a second.”

“Yeah, sure, I’ll just, uh - have a seat.” Nicole slipped onto the couch and watched as Waverly slammed the door behind her.

 

“Alright, so I just need to do a quick check of all the necessities.” Nicole told her as they stepped into the large tent. The loud noises echoed off the vinyl as the crew worked non-stop to get the bleachers up all around the perimeter. The officer peeked down at her clipboard. “I need to make sure you have the appropriate number of emergency exits. How many people are you expecting?”

Together, the pair walked around the show floor as Nicole ticked and tied every box on her checklist. After a little over an hour, Nicole’s report was full, but Waverly’s stomach was anything but.

“Wow, that’s really embarrassing.” Waverly announced as she put her hand on her growling stomach to silence it.

“Don’t be sorry. I’ve kept you busy for a while, and you haven’t even had breakfast.” Nicole told her honestly. “Why don’t we go grab something to eat? It’s the least I can do, for waking you up super early.” 

Waverly playfully shoved the young officer. Was she flirting? Did she still even know how to? “Are you sure? I mean you’re still on shift?”

“Trust me, it’s more than okay. Nothing really goes on around this time on a Tuesday in Purgatory anyways.”

“You really don’t have to.”

Nicole placed her hand on the small of Waverly’s back, leading her out the tent entrance and towards her police cruiser. “Trust me, I want to. I haven’t had anything to eat since a cup of coffee like four hours ago. What are you in the mood for?”

“Pancakes? You like pancakes?”

“Love ‘em,” Nicole agreed as she reached into her pocket and grabbed the cruiser keys. She unlocked the doors as they got closer, and opened the door for the younger girl before she could even take her next breath.

“Look at you being chivalrous.” Waverly harassed as she fell into the seat. Within seconds, Nicole was right at her side. “You think we can use the lights?”

“For you, anything!”

Nicole honked her horn, and her lights and sirens screamed from above the roof. 

“We’ve got an emergency,” the officer pretended to speak into her police radio. “Waverly is hungry and we got to get her some breakfast. ETA 3 minutes.”

Nicole spun through the streets, fast but diligent, never once endangering the other women’s life. Then again, that didn’t seem to happen when all the other cars on the road pulled over for you. Waverly’s eyes glimmered as the once familiar streets of Purgatory flashed in her eyes and shimmered in her memory. 

“Alright, here we are, Mama’s Diner.”

“Oh shit,” Waverly uttered as quiet as she could, but the officer still heard.

“What, something wrong?” Nicole questioned as she unbuckled her seat belt. 

“No, I just, don’t know if I can go in there.” Waverly said as honesty flowed from her mouth. “ I think I might know the person who owns this.”

Nicole sensed the trepidation in the other woman’s body language. “Would you like to go somewhere else?”

“No,” she ran a nervous hand through her hand. “Because I really, really like their pancakes.”

“Well how about this,” Nicole took her police hat off and placed it on the top of the dashboard. “You tell me what you want , I’ll go grab it and we can eat it in the back of the cruiser.”

“Really, you’d do that for me?”

“Yes, of course.” Nicole pulled out her phone, ready to jot down the other woman’s order. “Now what can I get for you, Miss Gibson?”

 

She slipped out of the tree-lined forest, checking over her shoulder not once but twice. No one was following her and they hadn’t been for the past mile or so, but she knew there was no such thing as being too safe. Just being back in this place gave her the creeps.

Her feet sunk into the dry dirt as she entered into the clearing, her body fully exposed to any on looker within a 5-mile radius. She shouldn’t be doing this, she knew better, but she had to; for her sister, for Waverly.

Holes formed as her heels from her cowboy boots sunk into the earth. With each step, her eyes bounced from dirty stone to broken stone to perfect stone, with no such luck.

“Why the hell can’t these things be in alphabetical order?”

 

“Look, I know you’re probably wondering how I possibly know the Tate family.” Waverly asked.

“Nope,” Nicole responded politely as she shoved another sliver of pancake into her mouth. Her feet were folded underneath her as she sat sideways on the back seat, her eyes locked on her companion. “Though I do want to know about your show this week? What’s your act?”

“Oh god,” Waverly rolled her eyes. “I’m the trapeze artist. I’ve always had really good balance and I was a gymnast and a cheerleader when I was younger, so, why not right?”

“Really? So you put on one of those sexy little outfits and swing like meters in the air?” The young officer smiled a dimply, yet suggestive grin. 

Waverly blushed as she felt Nicole’s eyes daring to sway up and down her body. “You got it.”

“And your sister seems to be quite the handful. What does she do?”

“She really is. She has the slinkiest little ringmaster outfit that makes all the Dad’s in the audience drool.”

 

“Where the hell have you been?” Wynonna jumped down her throat as soon as she heard the bus door slam.

“Me? Excuse me?” Waverly questioned appalled. “I could ask you the same question. You know someone actually had to stay here and make sure we passed inspection so we could actually do this quarter of a million-dollar show this weekend.”

“That was hours ago, Waves.” Wynonna rejected. She walked out of the trailer, her sister still following hot on her heels.

“I was out with Nicole.”

“Nicole? Are on a first name basis with the Police Department now?” Wynonna grabbed her motorcycle helmet from her bike seat and stretched her legs across the seat. 

“Hey, you wanted me to stay here with her while you did god knows what.” 

The eldest Earp flung a second helmet at her sister. “Come on, we are going for a ride.”

“What? Really? Now? I just got back.”

 

“Wynonna, what are we doing here? I mean I thought we were trying to stay incognito while we were in Purgatory.”

Her sister did not respond; not even a sarcastic retort. Instead, she fumbled forward like a woman on a mission. Waverly stridden faster, trying hard to keep up with her sisters long legs. Without warning, Wynonna’s body slammed to a halt and Waverly collided into her.

“This is where I was this morning.” She explained. She took a step closer to the cement block, her hand resting on its top. “I figured you would like to go for a visit while we were here and honestly, I didn’t remember where it was.”

“Oh my god. Daddy… Willa…” She fell to her knees as tears puddled in her eyes. Her fingertips reached out, tracing each letter on the stone. She had just turned six the last time she was here, but the memory still burned into her soul. The hurt, the pain, the marshmallows. It was like it was yesterday.

“I cleaned it up a little bit too, I figured they at least deserved it.”

“Wynonna,” Waverly rose to her feet and pulled her sister into a back-breaking hug. 

 

“It is them!” The demon vibrated in excitement as he watched from afar, his eyes intruding on the sincere family moment.

“Of course it is!” His red eyes burned in his sockets. “BoBo has been tracking them for years! Didn’t you trust him?”

“Absolutely,” He lied, his mouth parting in anticipation. “And now we will get to end the Earp girls, and the Earp curse on our terms.”

“After 200 years of fighting,” He clapped his palm on the revenant’s shoulders. “We will finally be immortal.”


	3. Vodka Vixen

Chapter 3

“Wynonna, come on!” Waverly banged on the hollow wooden door to her bedroom. She glanced at her leather wrist, her eyes mesmerized by the ticking of her watch. “We’re going to be late!”

“Watch out,” Doc whispered to the youngest Earp. She stepped out of the way and he lurched towards the door.

“Wynonna, I think I saw Dolls grab the key to your motorcycle. You must get out here quick!”

The door crashed open, slamming into Doc. The force pushed him into the kitchen cabinets and caused a dent in his favorite cowboy hat.

“You better get your lizard ass back in here Xavier!” Wynonna raced outside as she pulled her shirt on over her head with ease. She sped down the stairs, the entire crew following her lead. 

She ran right past his slender form, casually leaning against the hot metal tour bus. “What the hell is your problem, Earp?”

“My problem? You were… You…” She looked past him and locked eyes with a smirking Doc Holiday and then to a relieved Waverly, locking the tour bus door behind her. “You lied to me.”

“I got you outside. So as I would say, mission accomplished. Right Waverly? ”

Waverly grabbed the hat off of Doc’s balding head and smacked it against her hand, fixing the dent her sister has caused. “You got it.”

“Alright, stop fooling around.” Dolls commanded assertively. “We have to be there in twelve minutes. Get in the car.”

“Oh that shouldn’t be a problem.” Wynonna responded with positivity. “Waverly can just have her hot new officer escort us there, right Waves?”

She shoved her sister playfully as a blush crept up on her cheeks. “Ha-ha, Wynonna. Very funny.”

“A girl?” Doc asked, excitement shooting through his southern accented voice. He opened the door to the large, sleek SUV as the youngest Earp soared inside. “I am very offended. Why did you not tell us you met someone? Is she hot?”

“Doc, it’s not-”

“Not just any girl,” Wynonna yelled from outside the passenger’s door. “A police officer. And get this, she’s not only hot, her last name is Haught.”

“Waverly!”

“Get in the damn door.” Dolls called, his eyes flashing a burning orange as he glanced from dumb to dumber. “And leave your sister alone.”

“Hold your ass, Toothless.” 

 

“Reservations for Robert.” Wynonna stepped up to the host stand and fingertips immediately gripped onto her leather jacket, suddenly feeling underdressed. 

“Robert?” Her fingers skimmed over the touchscreen as confusion sprayed across her eyebrows.

“Yes, Robert Svane?”

Her eyes lit up as a lightbulb turned on inside her head. “BoBo. He told us you were coming. Right this way.”

She grabbed the correct amount of menus and led the group of friends to a small, private room off the side of the main dining room. Inside, a middle aged, muscular man with a brilliantly shaped Mohawk rose to his feet. He folded his reading glasses and slipped one of its arms into the pocket of his black jacket pocket. His punk rock head did not match his smooth and dapper tuxedo. He stepped forward, his arm outstretched to the eldest Earp.

“Wynonna,” his rough hand enclosed her soft one, callouses aggravating her skin. A grin swiped across his face and spread to his dark hazel eyes. 

“Waverly,” The next Earp grabbed his hand and pulled him into a tight hug. The scent of dirt and smoke tingled her nostrils. 

“Dolls,” He continued down the line. And then finally, “John Henry.”

“Do I know you, good sir?” Doc’s ears rang as Robert’s voice filled his ears, his brain eagerly worked to make the connection. 

“Well, I would hope so,” Robert chuckled. “I’ve only been paying your salary for the past few years. Have a seat, have a seat.”

Wynonna smacked Doc in the gut and whispered underneath her breath. “Stop being such a creep.”

“I hope you don’t mind, but we have a few members of the media coming to join us tonight. But while we are waiting, can I get you something to drink?”

“A man after my own heart! I’ll have a-”

 

“So then, all of a sudden, I started smelling this burning coming from behind me. I turned around but there was nothing there!”

“Come to find out,” Wynonna had tears in her eyes as she was laughing at the memory; “Dolls had lit his ass on fire while he was practicing his skit.”

“What?” BoBo choked on his whiskey. “John, you didn’t even notice your ass was on fire?”

“No, sir, I most certainly did not.”

“I’m not surprised!” Dolls agreed. “John has such a hot butt, right Wynonna?”

“Like a lit cigarette.”

“Speaking of cigarettes.” Doc felt his carton in the tight pocket of his jeans. “I’m going to step out and have a smoke.”

“Actually, Doc, do you mind if I come with? I could use some fresh air.”

“Absolutely, Waverly. After you.”

“We’ll have a round of drinks ready for you when you come back!” Robert called out. “Hey, Wynonna, Dolls, I’m actually working on a new product, and I was wondering if I could have your feedback.”

“Yeah, sure, Robert. What is it?” Wynonna swirled her whiskey in her glass cup as the businessman placed a bright red ball on the table. The see-through glass ball clinked against her cup of water. The eldest Earp picked up the cold crystal and held it in her hand. As she stared into the glass abyss, her blue orbs flashed a bright tinge of red.

 

“Have you been able to recognize him yet?” Waverly questioned as she leaned against the brick wall.

“No.” Doc said as he held up his cigar to his lighter “Why is he familiar to you as well, Waverly?”

“I don’t know. I mean I know we have talked to him before. But maybe its more than that?”

“He gives me a strong feeling of uncertainty.”

“But he’s our manager, and he’s paying our bills.” The youngest Earp conferred. “Why would he be doing that? What kind of reasons could he have?”

 

 

“Doc, be quiet, they don’t know we are coming.”

“I cannot help it, Wynonna. It is these god damn cowboy boots.”

“You aren’t even a cowboy!” Wynonna cackled.

“Be quiet!” Waverly shushed. She pranced up the steps, paying special attention to skip the creaky stair. “Who’s going to knock?”

“You do it,” Wynonna shoved her sister. 

“No, you.”

“What the hell is your problem!” Dolls rushed past the two girls and knocked loudly. “You act like this is a bad surprise.”

The tall man stepped towards the side as he heard footsteps pounding closer. He could feel the nervous energy shift as the metal door handle began to twist. The door cracked, and the youngest Earp rushed past the group and straight into her aunt’s arms.

“Waverly,” Gus gasped. “My you have grown.”

“I know,” Wynonna pulled her sister away from her aunt, and replaced Wave’s arms with her own. “It’s been like five years.”

“Not even,” Waverly argued. “Try six months. You really do suck at math.”

“Well, we’ve missed you. You get the point, right Aunt Gus?”

“Get in the house Wynonna. You really are a suck up,”

“I love you too”

“Dolls, are you sure you are keeping her in line?” The elder woman questioned.

“Trying my best, ma’am. But I can’t make any promises.”

“For the last time, Xavier, it’s Gus.” She pulled him into her arms, his muscular ones overlapping around her. “It’s nice to see you again.”

“You too, Gus. They really do miss you, you know.”

“I know, get inside, Dolls. There’s cookies on the stove.”

“And last but not least, Doc freakin’ Holiday”

“Ma’am.” Dolls removed his hat and held it at his side. 

“Thanks for taking care of my girls.” She too pulled him into a hug. “Still smoking there, Doc?”

“Nicotine and Whiskey- it is an all-natural diet, ma’am.” Doc placed his hat back on his head. 

“Don’t let Curtis smell you. He’s been clean for about two months. Maybe some of him will rub off on you.”

“When you have been smoking as long as I have-”

“Where is Uncle Curtis?” Waverly asked as she placed the small picture frame back onto the mantel, the two entering inside the small yet cozy home.

“Outside, chopping some wood.”

“You haven’t hired someone to do that yet?” The eldest Earp snickered.

“We’re not all famous like you, Wynonna.” 

“Christmas present idea.” She whispered to her sister.

“Come have a seat in the kitchen. Can I get you something to drink? Tea, coffee-”

“Whiskey?”

“I should have known, Wynonna. Come on, I have a glass with your name on it.” Gus lead the crew into the kitchen, where they all made themselves at home, like the mismatched family they were.

“Here that Waverly, my name. What can you say?”

“You two, come on,” Dolls chided the two children as he fiddled with the cork coaster in front of him. “How are the two of you holding up, Gus, really?”

“Much better now that I finally got Curtis to quit smoking. It should take a lot of less stress on his heart.”

“Hey Gus, Curtis wanted me to ask you for a-” The kitchen door slammed open and a tall, beautiful, yet extremely sweaty redhead stepped into the room, her tall cowboy boots seeping mud into the welcome mat. 

“Sorry, I didn’t know you had company.” Nicole winked towards a blushing Waverly. The sweat on the young officer’s body glistened as the mid-day sun peeked into the kitchen and reflected on Nicole’s sleeveless arms. 

“I didn’t either.” The elder woman replied, passing her eldest niece a glass of whiskey, and her youngest a cup of tea. “Why don’t you have Curtis quit for the day, it’s almost suppertime anyways. Then I can introduce you to my family.”

“Sure, No problem.”

Waverly’s eyes grinded down the young officer’s back as she turned to leave, her tight fitting, but damp tank top leaving little to the imagination as it clung to her every muscle. As she took a step out the door, the muscles in her legs contracted underneath her tight leggings, and Waverly had to bite her lip to clench in the swoon threatening to eject from within. 

Beside her, Wynonna stifled a fake cough, while whispering, “Someone’s horny.”

Waverly kicked her sister in the shin underneath the table. Wynonna grunted in pain but was certain to keep her mouth shut as her aunt began to glare.

“Ma’am, are you positively certain it is okay for us to stay for dinner?” Doc asked before another word from the two sisters was uttered. “We would not want to intrude, ma’am. And we understand that you were not expecting us.”

“Nonsense, John,” Gus argued with the elder cowboy, who hadn’t seemed to age one bit since she first met him. “We aren’t having anything special, just having some pizza delivered. And trust me, there will be plenty.”

“Hey Gus,” Nicole called out as she snuck back inside. “I’m actually just going to head home today, I’ve got an early shift tomorrow.”

Waverly drummed with her fingertips on the table, desperate to keep her eyes away from the redhead and mask her disappointment. 

“Nonsense, Nicole,” Gus rebuked from her seat at the table. “Sit your ass down. You are just as much family as they are now.” 

Nicole sighed, her eyes glossing over with worry and anxiety as she pulled the chair out beside the eldest women and sat down. Her eyes locked with the youngest Earp, a sly smile creeping from Waverly’s face. 

“Nicole, these are my two nieces,-”

“We’ve already met,” Waverly interrupted, but reprimanded herself when she realized she lost the opportunity to feel Nicole’s warm, soft hands against her own again. 

“But we have not, Officer Haught,” Doc stood up and reached his arm across the table and gripped onto the young officer’s. “I am John Henry, but you can call me Doc.”

Nicole continued on, shaking and introducing herself to Xavier Dolls, whom she assumed was the fire breathing man Waverly had so briefly mentioned yesterday. Her eyes fell back to Waverly, whose face was slightly getting redder and redder from the interaction. 

At just the right time, Curtis swung open the door and limped into the home, saving his youngest niece from any further embarrassment. After another round of hugs and handshakes, he sat at the table, right beside his wife.

“How did you meet Nicole?” Waverly asked her uncle. 

“I could ask you the same question, Wynonna, Waverly,” Her uncle asked and glanced back to the officer who was currently biting her lip, as if they had shared some type of secret. 

“Yeah, and more importantly, Haught shot, how did you get roped into actually helping Uncle Curtis on the ranch?”

“I wasn’t roped, I actually wanted to help.” Nicole admitted. “Nedley sent me here when we got a call from Gus about a wild moose Curtis was bravely trying to take care of on his own. Once that was taken care of, Gus and Curtis had asked me to stop by to help them with some chores Curtis was having a hard time with and the previous ranch-hand they had asked for help, some rodeo clown-”

“Champ Hardy,” Gus interrupted.

“Yeah, him. He was doing a lousy job. I had just moved to Purgatory and had nothing better to do so, why not? Now I make a weekly trip over here on my day off to help with anything they need.”

“Wow, that’s awesome Nicole.”

“Awesome?” Wynonna chuckled under her breath. “How about pathetic?”

Waverly gave her sister a hard elbow in the ribs and opened her mouth to protect the Nicole, but the redhead jumped to her own defense before she even had a chance.

“You know, it probably was really pathetic. But, I had nothing, and now it’s like I have my own little family in Purgatory.”

“Well, that is sweet, Officer Haught,” Doc agreed, tipping his hat off to the woman, causing yet again another blush to form on Nicole’s cheeks.

Before Wynonna could open her mouth with another quip, the doorbell rang saving Nicole from any further embarrassment. 

“That must be the pizza!” Curtis chimed. He stood up and began to limp to the door, and Wynonna was hot on his trail. 

“Hey Curtis, can I talk to you for a minute?” Wynonna called as they entered the foyer. Her Uncle turned toward his niece, his eyes locking into the blistering lunacy found within hers. 

“Do you know where peacemaker is?”

“What?” Curtis asked, blinking his eyes as he tried to rid the fuzziness filling his brain. “The what?”

“The gun, Curtis, do you know where they put Wyatt’s gun?”

“Why are you asking me about that Wynonna?” He turned and placed his hand on the handle, but using her quick reflexes; Wynonna gripped his shoulder and forced him to make eye contact yet again.

“I won’t ask you again, Curtis, where is the gun?”

“You should know where it is, Wynonna,” He reminded her, panic painting across his face with each word spilling from his own mouth. “You are the one who hid it in the well.”


End file.
